Course syllabus for Sustainable cities

Course syllabus adopted 2026-02-11 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameHållbara städer
  • CodeACE650
  • Credits10.5 Credits
  • OwnerTKARK
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyArchitecture
  • ThemeArchitectural design project 7.5 c,Environment 1.5 c
  • DepartmentARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
  • GradingUG - Pass, Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 45127
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0125 Project 7.5 c
Grading: UG		7.5 c
0225 Written and oral assignments, part A 1.5 c
Grading: UG		1.5 c
0325 Written and oral assignments, part B 1.5 c
Grading: UG		1.5 c

In programmes

Examiner

Eligibility

General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

The same as for the programme that owns the course
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements

Course specific prerequisites

  • Urban design: Space in cities, or equivalent
  • Urban theory, or equivalent
  • Housing in an urban context, or equivalent
  • Form, space and structure, or equivalent
The course is part of the learning sequence Design and builds on and deepens the knowledge of urban design and urban morphology that was covered in the above mentioned courses.

Aim

The course is part of a sequence of design courses that provide students with the knowledge and skills to initiate, implement and present projects at different scales and create long-term, functional, high-quality and well-designed solutions. The course builds on the course Urban design: Space in cities but increases the complexity by shifting the focus from working with the different components of the city, such as streets, parks, blocks and buildings, to focusing on the connections between them. The focus thus shifts to the design of the spatial structures of the city, which, in combination with land use and building density, create urban design qualities and variations in accessibility that that affect, among other things, living conditions and everyday life, sustainable transport and segregation. In addition, the course addresses challenges related to climate change where urban ecosystem services are used to improve people's well-being and strengthen the city's resilience. The course uses evidence-based design as a method, focusing on an exploratory and systematic approach, where design choices are supported by research and spatial analyses.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

Course module design (project)
1. Design the city's structure, including land use and building density, and explain how these factors create urban qualities and variation in accessibility that affect living conditions and everyday life, sustainable transport and segregation.
2. Design urban ecosystem services to improve human well-being and strengthen the city's resilience to climate change.
3. Compile and present an urban regeneration project for a given geographical area in the form of a strategic document consisting of an overall structure and guidance for future detailed planning, showing how the proposal meets overall objectives and the challenges of the area.
4. Illustrate the designed living environment for a sub-area within the structure plan (using for instance axonometry, perspective or in-depth section).

Course module Sustainable development (Written and oral assignments, part A)
5. Explain the role of urban development in creating sustainable cities with a particular focus on living conditions and everyday life, sustainable transport and segregation.
6. Explain what urban ecosystem services are and describe how these, in relation to climate change, affect human well-being and urban resilience.

Course module Creative and representational media (Written and oral assignments, part B)
7. Use digital tools (e.g. GIS) to analyse geographical data adapted to the project task and explain how the results can be used to identify challenges and potentials and evaluate own proposed changes in the city structure.

Content

The course consists of three modules:
  • The project module (7.5 credits) aims to develop the student's ability to transform and design a larger urban area, such as a neighbourhood or city district. The project results in a strategic document used in Sweden and other countries to provide an overall structure and guidance for future detailed planning (planprogram or masterplan).
  • The sustainability module (1.5 credits) focuses on strengthening the student's skills and knowledge of the role of urban design in relation to social sustainability and climate change.
  • The Representation module (1.5 credits) provides skills and knowledge on how geographical data and spatial analyses using digital tools such as GIS can support the design process.
The three modules run in parallel throughout the course to continuously support the design process and gradually increase students' understanding, knowledge and skills of how urban transformation projects can contribute to the well-being of residents and the city’s resilience. 

Organisation

The course is organized through:
  • Supervision in the design studio by a tutor responsible for supporting the development of the design project.
  • Laboratory sessions linked to the sustainability and representation modules, focusing on urban ecosystem services and climate adaptation, and analyzing geographical data using digital tools such as GIS.
  • A series of lectures complements the studio supervision and labs, focusing on the role of urban design in the creation of sustainable cities.
Students work in groups and hand in a joint design project. In addition, each student collects their work material in a logbook that serves as a personal account of how they have contributed to the group's work.

Literature

Lars Marcus, 2023, Städernas stenar - Hur den byggda staden formar den levda staden. Dokument press

If the course materials changes or include additional printed course literature, this will be announced at least 12 weeks before the course starts. Articles and materials produced by the department will be available on the course’s Canvas page.

Examination including compulsory elements

Examination takes place through:
  • Continuous examination of the project corresponding to 7.5 credits and mainly examining learning objectives 1, 2, 3 and 4
  • Assignment A on sustainable development, which corresponds to 1.5 credits and mainly examines learning outcomes 5 and 6
  • Assignment B on creative and representational media, which corresponds to 1.5 credits and mainly examines learning outcome 7
  • Active participation in the course and active attendance at compulsory parts.
Continuous examination means that examination takes place through several reviews with specific submission requirements that are announced before each elaboration. Compulsory elements are announced at the start of the course.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers about disability study support.